David Hopkins - Traditional house in Danya village Danya Almora Uttarakhand

There is a custom in the Kumaun in the construction of traditional houses that small holes were left under the eaves for sparrows to nest in. I regularly visit the home of Chandra Pant in Danya, and her old family home is so designed. I was there at sunset on Monday 9 April, and was very pleased to see that sparrows were flying in and out of the holes under the eave of the slate roof, a sure sign that they were nesting there. I was very pleased to see that at least in her home sparrows were still very much in evidence.